Arrangement of electrical instruments on airplanes



April 15, 1947. GOUY 2,418,830

ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS ON AIHPLANES Filed Dec. 9, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet l LEON Gouv lnvenfw L. GOUY April 15, 1947.

ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS ON AIRPLANES Filed Dec. 9, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 LEON Gem inveniur April 15, 1947. r L. GOUY 2,418,830

ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS ON AIRPLANES Filed Dec. 9, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. .5

Leon Gouv lnven'f'or April 15, 1947. L, GOUY 2,418,830

ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRiCAL INSTRUMENTS ON AIRPLANES Filed Dec. 9, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 [21 Men for LEO/V 601/) April 15, 1947. GQUY 2,418,830

ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRICAL msmummws 0N AIRPLANES Filed Dec. 9, 1942 6 sheets-sheet 5 L] Ina/e22 for 7 LEO/V' sour flifarney.

April 15, 1947. L, GOUY 2,418,830

ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS ON AIRPLANES Filed Dec. 9, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig.8

L Eon Gouy lnvamor Patented Apr. 15, 1947 ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS ON AIRPLANES Lon Gouy, Geneva, Switzerland; vested in the Attorney General of the United States Application December 9, 1942, Serial No. 468,400 In France December 5, 1941 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements to the arrangement of electrical instruments on an airplane.

- It is known to make arrangements of electrical instruments on airplanes by means of armoured connecting boxes on which all the appliances to be connected are plugged bymeans of cables with a plurality of conductors and of multipolar plugs, the said connecting boxes being removably mounted in such a manner that they may readily be opened. This enables even unskilled workmen to reset the connections in a very short time and with the minimum of manipulations.

However, the so conceived arrangements are difficult to make because of the large number of wires and cables which are connected with the said connecting boxes, which can cause the tangling up of the conductors and thus short-circuits when one of the appliances which are used is disconnected.

The present invention has for its object to do away with this inconvenience and to provide a plurality of bundles of input conductors while all the output conductors or the larger part of the same are grouped in one and the same bundle with one and the same plug socket, by which all risks of tangling up of the conductors are avoided.

On the other hand, it is sometimes not convenient to have a large number of conductors passing through any partition wall and more particularly through the fire-proof bulkheads of an airplane, where it is necessary to provide for the maximum conditions of armouring and tightness.

The present invention has also for its object to provide for this condition by permitting of making an arrangement with a single wire passage arranged in the fire-proof bulkhead and, therefore, with the optimum conditions of tightness.

Another object of this invention is to permit of an easy separation between the input and the output conductors.

. The improved arrangement which permits of attainin the said objects will appear from the following description and more particularly from the appended claims.

An arrangement accordin to the invention is shown by way of example in the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a connecting box adapted to receive a bundle of output conductors from below the base.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the connecting box QfFigureL.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a modified cover of the tight box mounted on the ring which carries the input plug sockets.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the base carrying the bundle of output conductors mounted on the fixed socket.

Figure 5 is a front view of the box assembly.

Figures 6 and 7 are respectively an elevational sectional and a plan view of another embodiment of the connecting box.

Figures 8 and 9 are respectively an elevational sectional and a plan view of a third embodiment of the connecting box.

The connecting box I is shown in Figures 1 and 2. It comprises three elements: a ring H, a plate 9 forming a cover and a base Ill.

The ring H has a polygonal, as, for instance, octagonal form. on each face of the said polygon, which facilitates the mounting of the input cables 3 3 and their verification.

The plate 9 which forms a cover is applied on the ring II.

This application of the plate 9 on the ring H is effected by means of four screws I6 I 6 I 6 I6 The base In which is fixed on the fireproof bulkhead 20 of the airplane by four bolts 2P, 2i, 2 l 2H is provided with a connecting hub 22 for receiving the tube 23 through which the conductors are sheathed. A nut 24 is used for securing the sheathing tube 23 on the hub 22 of the connecting box in a tight manner. The conductors pass through the fire-proof bulkhead through the hub 22 adjusted on the opening 25 provided in the said bulkhead.

A tube 23 contains all the output conductors coming from the cables 3 and intended for passing through the fire-proof bulkhead 20. Through this arrangement any tangling up of the wires is avoided and all the lines pass through the fireproof bulkhead 20. The tube 23 passes into a bushing 22 secured to the base plate It! and is adapted to be tightly secured therein by a stufilng gland 24.

Through this arrangement it is possible to provide a plant having a single passage through the bulkhead and thus insuring the optimum conditions of tightness.

It is also possible to rapidly disconnect in every so arranged working place without leaving wires in a waiting condition able to cause short-circuits and to separate any appliance the removal of which becomes necessary either for testing of the same or for any other reason.

Numerous changes can be made in the arrange- Connecting plugs 2 are applied ment which has been described above by way of example.

More particularly, the single bundle of output conductors can be mounted either in a single cable or in an armoured tube forming a part of the fixed assembly of the airplane.

Furthermore, instead of arranging this single bundle so that it opens in the rear part of the connecting box and in the aXis of the latter, the said bundle can be arranged so that it leaves on one side of the said box; this arrangement is more particularly useful when the output conductors are to be led in the plane of the box instead of being directed towards the rear part of the said box.

According to another form of execution all the electrical appliances which are located in a part of the airplane are connected with the connecting box with movable sockets by cables 3, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Each appliance has its own tapping 2. Every tapping 2 on the polygonal casing 43 is secured in a tight manner.

The said connecting box comprises three parts:

(a) A connecting part for the input conductors formed of a polygonal ring,

(2)) A connecting part for the output conductors mounted on the base which is fast with the bulkhead of the airplane,

(c) The cover of the connecting box.

The connecting part for the input conductors fits into the connecting part for the output conductors.

The connecting part for the input conductors (Figures 3 and 5) receives the plugs 44 of the peripherical tappings Z on its outer ring. The said plugs are connected with the plugs 45 of the middle tapping 45 secured to the cover l2 by the conductors 48. This middle tapping 4'5 is formed of an insulating disc 49 in which are embedded the plugs 45 with which the conductors 48 are connected. The cover I2 is secured to the polygonal casing 43 by the screws 50 when the connections of the conductors 48 with the plugs 45 have been made.

The connecting part for the output conductors (Figure 4) comprises a base 5| secured to the bulkhead 52 of the airplane by bolts 53; it is provided with a tight connection 54 receiving a tube 55 which contains the output conductors 55. The said conductors 56 are spread and inserted into grooves 5'! of the insulating disc 58 and lead to female plugs 59 located in their respective positions in the strut disc 60. The whole is suitably directed by the pin Bi and locked by the tightening ring 62.

The connecting part for the output conductors fits into the connecting part for the input conductors in such a manner that the male plugs 45 engage the female plugs 59. The assembly of both casings is effected through the middle screw 54 which rests on the cover l2. This screw 54 is screwed into the nut which is fast with the connecting, part for the output conductors.

The suitable direction of both parts is insured by the pin 63 and the engagement of the plugs is easily effected by the tightening action of the middle locking knob 54. A tight joint 65 insulates the interior of the connecting box from the outer atmosphere.

Numerous changes can be made to the connecting box which has been described above by way of example.

More particularly, the single bundle of leaving conductors can be mounted either in a single cable or in an armoured tube forming a part of the fixed plant of the airplane.

According to another form of execution (Figures 6 and '7) the single bundle of the output conductors extends from one of the sides of the box; this arrangement is more particularly useful when the output conductors are to be in the plane of the box instead of being directed towards the rear part of the said box.

For this purpose the base 51 of the connecting box comprises an elliptical conduit 'll through which the bundle of the output conductors passes. This conduit is terminated by a plug socket arrangement 12 for the connection with the output cable 13.

According to a third form of execution (Figures 8 and 9) the output conductors of the single bundle lead to an insulating ring 14 provided with terminals 15 I5 15. The said ring is secured on the base 5| of the connecting box.

The output conductors are connected with the said terminals 15 and suitably fixed by means of screws 18 and nuts H with the conductors coming from the individual tappings of the input conductors located on the periphery of the polygonal ring.

In the form of invention shown in Fig. 8 the base 5| 2 is secured to the ring or body portion l l of the casing by bolts 59.

I claim:

1. A junction box construction for the electrical systems of airplanes, comprising, in combination, a base for attachment to a support, insulation means in the base, socket type terminals in said insulation means, a multi-faced side wall having one edge abutting said base, a cover abutting the opposite edge of said multi-faced side wall, insulation means carried by the inner face of the cover, pin-type terminals carried by said insulation means at the inside face of the cover and adapted to register with and enter the sockettype terminals on the insulation means of the base, cooperating means respectively on the cover and base for drawing the cover toward the base to force the pin-type terminals thereof into the socket-type terminals of the base, and fastenings for connecting the cover, side wall, and base.

2. A junction box construction for the electrical systems of airplanes, comprising, in combination, a base having a hub portion and collar, insulating means within said collar having terminal receiving openings and a central nut portion, sockettype terminal elements in said terminal receiving openings, a multi-faced side wall having one edge abutting said base, a cover abutting the opposite edge of said multi-faced wall, a centrally disposed pressure screw element rotatably mounted in the cover and adapted to engage said nut element carried by the insulating means within the collar, said screw having a manipulating knob exposed at the face of the cover, insulating means carried by the inside face of the cover and carrying pintype terminal conductors therewith for entering the socket type terminals of the base; fastenlngs ior clamping the cover, side wall and base together; insulating supports carried by each of the faces of the multi-faced wall member, and pin-type terminals mounted in the said insulated supports and electrically connected with the pintype terminals carried by the insulating means of the inside face of the cover.

3. A junction box construction for the electrical systems of airplanes, comprising, in combination, a base plate having an axial hub portion extending from the rear face thereof and a collar at the opposite face thereof, a guide pin projecting from the base in the direction of the collar, an insulated disc fitted in said collar and having an opening for receiving said guide pin, said disc having a nut element disposed axially thereof and in coaxial alignment with said hub, socket-type terminal elements carried by said disc; a multi-sided wall element having one edge abutting said base, a cover secured to the edge of said wall element opposite the base, a pressure screw having a manipulating head exposed at the head of the cover and arranged so that its threaded shank portion will engage the nut element of said disc; an insulating member secured to the inner central portion of the cover and provided with pintype terminals adapted to fit into the socket-type terminals of said disc; insulating supports on each of the faces of said multi-faced wall, pintype terminals mounted in said supports and certain of said pins being electrically connected with the terminal pins on the insulating member at the inside face of the cover, a plurality of pushon-type plug elements including terminal conductors adapted to engage the terminal elements on the insulated supports of said multi-faced wall, and locking rings surrounding said pushon-type plug elements and having means at one end for engaging the same and means at the other end for detachably connecting said elements with the multi-faced wall member.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kauch et a1. Apr. 20, 1926 Borchert Dec 9, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date British July 15, 1941 Number Number 

